


Rose Tyler, I Love You

by authorwithoutaquill



Series: Timepetalsprompts drabbles [7]
Category: Doctor Who (2005)
Genre: Angst, Drabble, F/M, Hurt/Comfort, Romance, Team TARDIS
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-01-11
Updated: 2016-01-11
Packaged: 2018-05-13 03:07:47
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 684
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5692291
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/authorwithoutaquill/pseuds/authorwithoutaquill
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>The Doctor and Rose's reunion does not go as planned. While they find each other in New York, there's complications neither of them expected. Namely a Captain Jack Harkness and one Donna Noble.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Rose Tyler, I Love You

**Author's Note:**

> This was written for Timepetalsprompts weekly drabble theme - sparkle. It is the 7th part of my drabble series. The stories in sequence go like this: Can't Do It, Frozen Heart, Roses and Snowdrops, Displaced, Empire State of Mind, Watch It Spaceman.
> 
> Also, just a heads-up. We're nearing the end of this story, I do not see it going on for much longer. Maybe 2 or 3 more installations, but certainly no more than that.

Her eyes were sparkling. Amber and honey and gold and caramel all dancing in a mad flurry of lights as she ran towards him; tongue between her teeth, blond hair flying behind her like a marching flag.

She was happy. For the first time in what seemed like years (when in fact it’s barely been more than two weeks), she was truly happy. Light, joyous, running-on-the-wind free, without a care in the world other than returning to the Tardis; and he thought they were finally back to what they’ve been before he took her home.

But then she stopped abruptly, nearly falling over, the lights in her eyes dying in a blink, her tongue beating a swift retreat to the depth of her mouth. Her lips curved downwards and pale crystalline tears of hurt rolled down on her cheeks faster than his mind could follow.

Before the Doctor could open his mouth, she turned and ran. He wanted to go after her. He really did. But his legs wouldn’t move. His hearts wouldn’t beat. It was like losing her all over again and it hurt more than the Doctor could have ever imagined.

_Not again._

_Not like this._

He faintly registered his knees hitting the ground, Donna calling his name from the Tardis behind him, and his brain finally provided with an explanation.

“She thinks you’re already over her, dumbass!”

The Doctor smiled sadly and grumbled to himself that his brain started to look frighteningly like a red-head nowadays.

_Donna Noble, you’re fantastic, you are!_

That’s what he said to her more often than not during their week spent together in his time machine. He tried to say it like he didn’t mean it - catching him off-guard all the time, the infuriating little ape was - but she saw through him easier than Rose. And that was saying something.

He squirmed under the attention, didn’t want to put all his faults on display to yet another stranger-turned-friend, but Donna smiled in those moments, and quieted down. She stopped yelling and took his chin in her right hand, looking him straight in the eye, telling him: _“We’re going to find your Rose, Doctor”._ And he believed her.

And now they found her, and as his companion and newly-found friend pointed out - Rose still had no idea how he felt about her. The idiot he was, he never told her, did he?

“Well, go after her, space-dumbo! She’s hardly gonna wait all day for you to catch up!”

The Doctor nodded his thanks to Donna, and took off after Rose. Running like his life depended on it, he rounded corner after corner and caught up to her in all but five minutes.

He didn’t want to call out, didn’t want to risk startling her, giving her an opportunity to slip away without talking.

_Sounds familiar, Doctor? You can’t expect her to pour her heart out when you don’t say anything!_

“Get out of my head, Donna,” he mumbled to himself while taking slow, careful steps towards the street lamp under which Rose was standing. She was still sobbing quietly and the Doctor quickened his pace, not wanting to give himself away, but intending to end her suffering as soon as possible.

He was barely ten feet away when a man in a long military-style coat burst out from the side-door of a pub. He stood in front of Rose for only a moment, then enveloped her in a tight embrace and started whispering soothing words into her ear.

The Doctor felt as if someone had poured ice into his veins. He was so close, so close, and it had to end like this. As the pair walked away slowly, he leaned against the brick wall behind him, looking up at the Empire State Building and scowling at its lights, as if it were to blame for his misfortune.

He turned his head and whispered quietly, desperately, praying to all the deities he could name that she would hear, but with a leaden certainty sitting in his stomach telling him that she wouldn’t, “Rose Tyler, I love you.”

**Author's Note:**

> Comments and kudos really make my day, so if you liked this story, please leave one. Thank you!


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